Shocked that companies and mutual funds would invest OPM (Other People's Money) in high-risk investments, the Shocked Investor was originally on a mission to find out if our money ended up in these dubious instruments. This blog now also discusses other financial topics, such as straddles, options, gold, natural gas, agri/food stocks, and the collapse of the US Dollar.

"Employment increased by 179,000 in April from a revised 207,000 the prior month, according to figures from ADP Employer Services".

However, that is below expectations: "The median estimate in the Bloomberg News survey called for a 198,000 advance this month".

"The gain in employment projected by ADP may be insufficient to help the economy accelerate after a surge in food and fuel costs caused growth to slow to a 1.8 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year. Businesses added 200,000 jobs in April and the jobless rate held 8.8 percent, economists project a Labor Department report to show in two days".